The Constant Companion

'I am Miss Lamberton. Miss Constance Lamberton. I hoped that you would employ me as your companion.'

So it was that quiet, reserved Constance came to the household of the haughty but beautiful Lady Amelia. She would serve as the lady's chaperone throughout the Season's many festivities, finding herself an unwitting accomplice in Lady Amelia's scheme to trap the very eligible Lord Philip into marriage.

But it was not Lady Amelia who won Lord Philip's heart. It was the pale, golden-eyed Constance herself. And very soon, Constance became Lady Philip Cautry. It was not a marriage made in heaven, but surely in time.

And then Constance disappeared. Lord Philip didn't know how or why. Nor did he care. All that mattered to him was the safe return of his beloved Constance.